A spokesperson for West Midlands Ambulance Service said: “We would like to apologise to the patient and her family for the time it took to get an ambulance to them.

“It is extremely rare that it takes so long to get to a patient. The Trust received more than 4,300 999 calls on Thursday, making it the second busiest day in the Trust’s history with activity in Coventry and Warwickshire 16% higher than we would have expected to receive at this time of year.

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“Based on the information provided by the caller, the case was classed as not life threatening and placed into the third of four categories of seriousness. This meant we had to deal with life-threatening and other more serious calls before this one.

“In a follow-up call the Trust was made aware that the patient was being assessed at a nearby medical centre and the family were also informed of how busy the service was and the reason for the delay.

“We have not been contacted by the patient or her family, but if she would like to discuss the case, we would be pleased to do so. Please contact our patient advice and liaison service on 01384 246 370.”